Hypothetical Question About Particles & Movement

In summary, the conversation discusses the possibility of measuring the velocity and time taken for a sub-atomic particle to travel a distance of 1 Planck length, with the conclusion that current technology may not be able to accurately measure such small distances. The significance of the Planck length is also debated, with the suggestion that it may only be important in the context of quantum mechanics.
  • #1
InfiniteEntity
5
2
I was watching videos on YouTube and this question suddenly popped into my head: If I was able to push a sub-atomic particle (proton, electron, etc...) a distance of 1 Planck length. Excluding all the quantum interactions and uncertainties, is it possible to measure/calculate how fast the particle would be going? Or how much time it takes for it to travel that distance?

I was thinking that it would travel at the speed of light, making it easy to determine the time taken, but I figured that since the particles are not of mass-less property, they cannot travel at the speed of light.

P.S I have a chemistry exam tomorrow and I'm thinking of this thing. Help me.
 
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  • #2
Yes, the velocity would just be the distance divided by the time taken to travel that distance. The Planck length is nothing special in this regard.
 
  • #3
That's fine. But then, how would you really measure the time taken by the particle? Is there any sort of special equipment (if measurable) or equation (if calculable) needed other than just knowing or assuming the value?
 
  • #4
InfiniteEntity said:
That's fine. But then, how would you really measure the time taken by the particle? Is there any sort of special equipment (if measurable) or equation (if calculable) needed other than just knowing or assuming the value?
The times and distances involved are much smaller than we can measure with our best available lab equipment, so it's possible (and good reasons to think it's likely) that some as not unknown physics will appear at that scale. But based on what we know so far, there's nothing special about the Planck length; it's just a distance like any other.
 
  • #5
InfiniteEntity said:
Excluding all the quantum interactions and uncertainties

This sort of makes the problem completely trivial, because the Planck length is defined using quantum mechanics (and is expected to be important for quantum gravity). If you ignore the theory that makes it significant, then it is not significant, and you're just moving a particle by a particular length scale.
 
  • #6
InfiniteEntity said:
P.S I have a chemistry exam tomorrow and I'm thinking of this thing. Help me.

Concentrate on the chemistry!
 

1. How do particles move?

Particles can move in three main ways: translation (movement in a straight line), rotation (movement around an axis), and vibration (oscillation back and forth).

2. What factors affect the movement of particles?

The movement of particles is affected by various factors such as temperature, pressure, intermolecular forces, and external forces (e.g. gravity). These factors can change the speed and direction of particle movement.

3. Can particles move faster than the speed of light?

No, according to the theory of relativity, particles with mass cannot travel at the speed of light. Only massless particles, such as photons, can move at the speed of light.

4. How do particles behave in different states of matter?

In solids, particles are tightly packed and vibrate in fixed positions. In liquids, particles have more freedom to move and slide past each other. In gases, particles have the most energy and are constantly moving and colliding with each other.

5. What is Brownian motion and how does it relate to particle movement?

Brownian motion is the random movement of particles in a fluid due to collisions with other particles. This phenomenon was first observed by botanist Robert Brown and is an important concept in understanding the behavior of particles in liquids and gases.

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